The present invention relates in general to advertising and/or information sign apparata and in particular to a modular display apparata for slidably receiving, maintaining and displaying sign panels in a facilitated, desired, structural orientation.
For decades, various means have been utilized to display signage panels in a myriad of retail enviroments as a principle point-of-purchase marketing tool. While the vast majority of such display devices typically involve permanent or semi-permanent attachment of a sign panel to a frame element so as to display the sign panel in a "framed" environment, some devices have been directed to the utilization of removable and insertable signage panels that appear to be permanent but, in fact, are replaceable, at will, into a finished frame of display. Among the prior art devices relying upon and/or disclosing utilization of "slide in" - type signage panels are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,094,709; 2,288,570; 3,015,897; 4,001,957; 4,094,085; and, 4,377,049. In spite of these relatively recent developments in "slide in" signage panels and the like, few, if any, conventional devices address a structure or display apparatus for cooperation with signage panels, where the display apparatus is modular in construction so as to afford benefits heretofore unrealized by the prior art.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a modular display apparatus for signage panels which is relatively inexpensive to fabricate through the facilitated overlay of a relatively flat apparatus components--where the components themselves are fabricated into three dimensional, aesthetically pleasing shapes through low cost manufacturing techniques including, but not limited to, vacuum-forming techniques.
It is additionally an object of the invention to preclude the need for the relatively expensive structure and installation effort required in more conventional "permanent" types of point-of-purchase displays through a structure that facilitates the insertion and removal of signage panels into a framed "finished" environment.
As an additional object of the invention is the fabrication of a modular display apparatus in which panel display regions are formed through adhesive or welded attachment of aligned subparts, modular subparts that create the illusion of a substantially costly box frame device without involving the materials or efforts required by such conventional box frame apparata.
Another object of the invention is to provide a modular display apparatus of such a structure which is flexible to alteration to accommodate, for example, the staggered placement of signage panels, as desired or, to alternatively permit an illuminated "back-lit" display medium.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in light of the present specification and drawings.